News

JWC One Team workshops continue

The JWC’s newcomers went through the final formal stage of their integration by attending the latest JWC One Team workshops. The programme which has now been running for four years is unique in NATO, being the only programme of its kind focusing on shaping the organizational culture at the HQ.

While the Newcomer’s training package in August focused on what we do on at the JWC, the One Team workshop focuses on how we work together better as a team.

At its core, the One Team programme is aimed at giving this diverse multinational staff the tools to improve the quality of their interactions with each other and those they serve.

This is not your normal NATO course. During the two day workshop, the audience are exposed to a number of different concepts and mindsets which help focus the productivity and effectiveness of the individual but also the team. This is achieved through a great deal of interactivity which includes playing complex games, solving issues in groups and reflecting on how this material applies to both their working and personal lives.

“This course aims to engage the staff at a number of levels,” said Paul Sewell, who is responsible for the JWC’s One Team programme, “we find that the people who get the most out of it apply these mindsets and concepts within their families as well as those they work with”.

Also, many of the concepts are not new to a staff as experienced as the JWC staff. However what makes it impacting is the quality of the interaction and discussions the group have as a whole around these concepts.

Both Major General Andrzej Reudowicz, the Commander, and Rear Admiral John B. Skillmanwere present to give their support for these programmes.

It was also attended by two Colonels who play key roles in the organization. Colonel Neil Wright (GBR A), the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Centre’s Exercise, Training and Innovation Directorate, attended the first workshop noting, “It was great for me individually and for the group and I found myself drawing upon some new found, and indeed rediscovered, approaches in a meeting yesterday".